#is hazbin still enjoyed here?? a lot of artists seem to be scrubbing their works and distance themselves from the show/fandom recently

[snezario]

Catch Me I'm Falling (Part 4); Vo/x

WOW. okay! honestly, i wasn't sure i was ever going to get around to finishing this installment and i did not proofread the latter half at all. at this point, i don't think i will be able to finish, mostly because of how burned out i am from work. that being said, i'm not entirely closed off to the idea of finishing because it really has been a labor of love and i do like what i had planned.

i don't know how coherent this is but it is what it is. also fair warning, this installment delves into the shippy stuff. i hope it's not too OOO but i rly wanted to subvert certain fandom/ship tropes abt them.

That evening, Alastor laid in bed staring at the ceiling. His mind was restless, he had been struggling to fall asleep for the better part of the past hour. He kept finding himself ruminating on his interaction with Vox from earlier that day–continuing to be perplexed by the whole ordeal, from his own actions to Vox’s fever-induced delirium.

When he finally drifted off, his last thought was of Vox. Most nights his sleep was a bit restless but typically dreamless. However, Vox stepping back into the picture seemed to have disrupted his subconscious. He shielded his eyes as a camera flash went off, finding himself in the midst of a vibrant and upscale social gathering.

Elegant chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, illuminating what appeared to be a spacious ballroom. From across the room he saw Vox, sporting his old unwieldy television monitor and donning a sleek navy suit. The television demon was conversing with someone, before he abruptly looked up and met Alastor’s gaze with an eager grin.

As Alastor tried to approach him, the bystanders twisted into shadows, not unlike those that he was capable of summoning. They whispered taunts and insults that became louder as they circled around him, blocking his way to Vox. Before long, darkness completely engulfed him.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed but the next thing he knew, he found himself in a dimly lit room, rain pelting the roof above him. Vox was standing in the doorway, again with his boxy monitor for a head. This time the expression on his face was starkly different from before. He was absolutely livid but there was an undercurrent of melancholy and desperation, tears welling at the corner of his eyes. As Alastor gazed at the other demon, a peculiar feeling started to bubble up within him. He couldn’t exactly place the feeling but one thing he was certain about - it was unsettling.

They continued to stare each other down, both of them frozen in place; although now he sensed the feeling evolving. He still had yet to figure out exactly what it was but it was definitely increasing in complexity and intensity. Before Alastor could say anything he jolted awake, his chest heaving up and down rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. There were beads of sweat along his hairline, which he quickly wiped away.

What was that? The nightmares seemed vaguely familiar, almost like long-forgotten, deeply buried memories. Preposterous! He shook his head as he dismissed the thought. Yes, he and Vox had a business partnership before but that’s all it ever was. Alastor didn’t regret how things turned out–the dissolution of their association was inevitable, they were always diametrically opposed. He certainly never felt a shred of anything beyond that. Never.

After taking a few measured breaths to get his heart rate under control, he glanced at the antique grandfather clock on the wall adjacent to him. It was already half past seven, a bit later than when he usually started the day.

It was probably best to check-in on Vox before he went on with his day. Alastor adjusted his tie in the mirror before slipping into the shadows.

“Ah you’re up!” Alastor remarked as he rematerialized in Vox’s room.

“Motherfucker–will you stop doing that?” Vox swore loudly, tripping backwards as Alastor fully re-formed, his shadow wearing the same sinister grin before appearing to laugh at having startled Vox. The television demon straightened out his hat with a huff, which had become askew, before fixing his intruder with a steely glare, who grinned back at him, nonplussed.

“What do you want now Alastor,” Vox glowered, folding his arms in front of his chest and trying to disregard the faint but annoying fluttering at the back of his head.

“I see you’re still ill-tempered as always.”

“And I see you’re sti–ihh! ihhHH!–” Vox’s retort was cut short as his breath caught. As much as he would have liked to push through the interruption, he knew his body would not give that kind of mercy. He at least had the good sense to cover as he forcefully pitched forward with the irritation that refused to be ignored.

“ihh’DZZSHHH! ehh… ehhHKTZZSHhiew!”

“Gesundheit. Emphasis on the ill,” Alastor added with a smirk, the contempt in his tone did not pass Vox by. Despite his frustratingly persistent grin, Alastor’s disgust was apparent– a painful reminder of the Overlord’s distaste towards himself, which seemed to have been increased ten-fold by his current health condition.

Vox sniffled damply as he straightened up, a faint blush to his screen’s usual blue hue. He grimaced–there was still a hint of irritation skittering along his circuitry.

“Can’t I just drop in on an old pal?”

“Ha yeah right,” Vox snorted, “I know you have some ulterior motive, so just gehh… gehhht–ehh’DSHHhuu! ISHHhieew!”

Vox groaned as he uncurled himself from the crook of his elbow. He saw that Alastor maintained his haughty demeanor. Well if he insisted on sticking around and refused to divulge anything further, Vox might as well try to get something from him.

“Snf! Fine, whatever. Are we ever going to talk about our deal?”

“I suppose so,” Alastor hummed, casually flicking off a loose thread from his suit, “As I promised before, I’ll help you get back into good graces with your former colleagues and you can go back to swindling sinners in no time–”

“Yes, I already know that. Skip to the end old timer,” Vox snapped, although the congestion reduced the biting quality of his interjection.

Alastor narrowed his eyes at the interruption but continued, the displeasure bleeding into his words, “Oho, how could I forget? Patience was never your strong suit. Anyways, once that’s all in order, all I ask from you is to borrow your power for a day.”

Wait what? Vox blinked rapidly, his brow furrowed as he slowly processed what Alastor said. He said so blasé as if he were merely commenting on the weather. It wasn’t uncommon for an Overlord to absorb another’s power after usurping them but borrowing it? That was unheard of. Could it even be done?

“Yes, it can,” Alastor said, reading his mind, the smug prick.

Vox scowled, placing his hands on his hips, “Okay well, if you know so much about this, please do enlighten me.”

Alastor shrugged, “There really isn’t much to tell, my dear. It’s quite simple really, it’s similar to owning another’s soul but without the immutable contract. And as soon as the day is over, your power will be reinstated. You’ll hardly notice it was gone in the first place!”

The crimson pinstriped demon continued to smile at him creepily, waiting for his response. Vox opened his mouth to inquire further, when he felt another distant but telltale tickle. Alastor’s ears flicked back when Vox inhaled sharply, his eyes watering as he tried to fight the urge. He brought a closed fist to the middle of his screen, an old habit.

“Again?”

Vox rolled his eyes, which was not an easy feat to do when his body was preoccupied with a decidedly urgent need. He brought a quivering fist to his screen as his breath caught in his throat. Why he attempted to speak was beyond him.

“Ihht’s not like I’m–hh! doing it…hhHH! ihhh? fuck–purpose.”

Stuck in an embarrassing and vulnerable position, Vox sniffled after another precarious hitch before dissolving into a frustrated bout of coughing when the sneeze failed to manifest. He scrubbed the back of his hand against his screen, knowing full well he would not be able to rid himself of the fuzzy tickle in his head, despite his best effort.

Alastor, who had previously looked expectant, was now regarding him with what was undoubtedly contempt, mixed with exasperation. He rolled his eyes when Vox stalls on the precipice of another sneeze.

“Must I do everything around here?” Alastor muttered before flicking out his hand towards Vox. 

“What are yo–”

Startled by the sudden movement, Vox flinched. The virus ravaging through his system made certain systems more susceptible, so Alastor when lightly dragged a claw along his sensitive vents the irritation swelled as it reached the threshold. His body provided no warning before he snapped forward with the release he had so desperately craved.

“ehHZTSHH’uhh! hh’KZZSHH! Oh fuhhck–ihh’ZZSHHhiew! ISHHuu!”

“Goodness, a trifle sensitive are we?” Alastor commented looking up briefly at the flickering light fixture on the ceiling before he narrowly sidestepped the bolt of electricity that shot out from Vox in his direction.

Vox lifted his head a fraction during a brief reprieve and barely managed to catch Alastor’s comment. He opened his mouth but wasn’t able to complete his snarky reply, as a hazy expression clouded his face and he jerked forward again.

“ihhh’DZZTSSH! ehhH…ehh’TSHHHhiew! snfsnf! hh’ZSHHh!”

While he didn’t see it, he heard the lightbulb from a nearby lamp burst. Vox cringed internally, hoping that losing control of his powers wasn’t affecting the rest of the hotel. He heard another snide exclamation from Alastor, but wasn’t able to comprehend any of it.

He collapsed in on himself as he attempted to fight the sensation and avoid a power outage to the hotel.

“NNGXXT! eh’GNXXTCHh!”

“Ah-ah, don’t do that. I’m afraid you might short circuit holding them in like that,” Alastor chided him.

As if to punish him for his act of defiance, Vox gasped before bending over with four rapid-fire sneezes, each one just as vicious as the previous one.

“ehHH’KZZTSH! ihhDTSHHHuhh! ISHHHhiew! hehKTSHHuu!”

After that disgusting and frankly embarrassing display, Vox felt like his body was finally content with the release. Jesus fucking Christ that was intense. Cracking open an eye, Vox was startled to see a handkerchief obscuring his vision. For once he was grateful for Alastor’s old-fashioned tendencies. Without looking at him, he accepted the extended cloth, immediately proceeding to bury his face in it.

“Would it have hurt you to give me just a little warning?” Vox muttered congestedly from behind the handkerchief, hoping that it also provided a visual barrier to his embarrassment.

“But that wouldn’t be fun at all would it?”

Vox’s mouth formed into an annoyed frown while a spark of electricity bounced between his antennae. Of course! What was his purpose if not to serve as Alastor’s entertainment? As Vox dabbed his vents, a thought crossed his mind. He side-eyed the radio demon, lowering the cloth.

"Why didn't you make it a soul deal?" The question slipped out of his mouth before he could think twice.

Alastor blinked, looking slightly taken aback at Vox’s question. He hummed thoughtfully, taking a second to think before answering.

"It is simply unnecessary for what I need from you."

“Sure… I bet mine was too powerful for you to handle,” Vox ribbed stuffily, elbowing him playfully.

Alastor rolled his eyes but surprisingly didn’t flinch away from the contact, “Nonsense. I see you’re also still as arrogant as ever.”

Vox narrowed his eyes, unconvinced but he let the matter drop. Truthfully, Alastor needed Vox's soul “free” so to speak. Having him locked into any contracts would make things complicated but he didn't need to know that.

“I must be off but why don’t we agree to meet this evening, half past six. Ta-ta for now and don’t be late,” Alastor’s demon form flashed as he warned Vox of being tardy before slipping into the shadows.

Vox pushed the door open and peeked his head in. No radio demon. Tapping his foot impatiently on the floor he contemplated his next plan of action. He could wander the halls and try to locate Alastor on his own but that sounded exhausting and he really wasn’t in any state to exert himself more than it had already been through the past few days. On the other hand if he got lost and kept Alastor waiting, he would most likely be chastised ‘Punctuality was never your strong suit and it would seem that is still the case.’ He bristled at the thought.

Perhaps it was better for him to just wait for Alastor here. Walking towards the center of the room he marveled at the eccentricity of it. The bayou section was kind of calming but still mildly disturbing.

Before Vox could explore further, he felt an all-too-familiar prickling at the back of his head that caused him to stop in his tracks. He sighed internally, he should have come to expect it now. As he uselessly scrubbed his wrist against his screen, an urgent gasp escaped his lips as the sensation grew.

“Fuhhck, not ag-hhehH! hehH’KZSHH! ihhDSHHiew! ehh?...ehh’Ẕ̴̡̱̮͙̱̞̇̈́̓̈̏͌̑̐̈́͠Ẑ̶̰̰͈T̷̨̙̮̱̰̗̪̫̮̍́͑̆̈́͑̈́͗̀̂̚͜Ĉ̴͙̣̆̾͌̾̿̚H̶̪̪͍̙͍̮̓́͌̔͘H̴̨̢͉̗͕͊̈́́͋͝͝huuu!

The last sneeze sent him stumbling backwards into one of the bookcases, knocking over several of Alastor’s knick knacks in the process. Fuckfuckfuck, he did not want Alastor thinking he was poking around his room.

When he finally regained his footing, Vox hastily began to put everything back in place before Alastor returned. As he started to adjust the placement of the last object he paused, feeling drawn to it. It was the picture frame that Alastor’s shadow wouldn’t let him get a good look at that night they made the deal. He removed it from the shelf and his eyes widened as examined the photograph nestled inside.

The sepia-tinted photo scrap, the ragged edge on one side, it was unmistakable. The only picture he ever managed to get Alastor to pose for.

No. Fucking. Way. Alastor actually kept it?

Gently tracing a claw along the glass separating the image from the outside world, Vox stared at his older self–the old unwieldy CRT tv screen for a head he had jarringly woken up in Hell with and the pale mustard turtleneck that he had been so fond of. He had kept the half with Alastor, who was as timeless as ever, looked almost exactly as he did in the present. It was buried at the bottom of one of his drawers and although he hadn’t looked at it in years, he never had the heart to get rid of it for good.

He gripped the frame tighter as the memory flooded his mind.

Vox beamed as he stepped into the spacious foyer where the annual Overlord gala was being held that evening. The marble floors glistened, crystal chandeliers above the guests twinkled, refracting the warm lighting throughout the space. It was everything he could ever have dreamed of. He glanced around, scanning for a familiar face amongst the sea of guests. He and Alastor agreed to meet at the gala rather than arrive together because according to Al, he

“Oh Vox, we are delighted to have you join us in the ranks of Overlords.”

Vox turned around at the sound of Carmilla Carmine’s voice. She approached him adorned in a chic black and white cocktail dress, Zestial at her side. His eyes widened, he shouldn’t have been so taken aback to see them but since becoming an Overlord he hadn’t hadn’t actually had much time to speak with any of the other Overlords let alone the legends themselves, Carmilla Carmine and Zestial.

“C-Car-Carmilla and Zestial,” Vox stammered as he fiddled with his bowtie, which seemed tighter than he remembered putting it on. He vigorously shook each of their hands, “A pleasure to meet you both in the flesh.”

“The pleasure is all ours. We just wanted to extend our hospitality and ensure that you are properly enjoying yourself,” Carmilla said with a rare grin.

“Your generosity is deeply appreciated. It really is an honor to be here, amongst you all. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my business partner, Alastor,” Vox responded enthusiastically and tried to fix them with his most charismatic smile but it felt unusually awkward and stilted.

“Where is your business partner? I heard you two were inseparable.”

Vox felt his screen heat up at Carmilla’s comment. He laughed self-consciously before whipping his head side-to-side as he tried to locate the famed radio demon.

“Ah well he should be here. We spoke about it yesterday. Alastor–”

“Oh dear, are my ears burning?”

At the sound of the familiar radio-filtered voice, Vox’s smile softened and the pit of anxiety in his stomach dissipated instantly. He turned in the direction that the voice came from to see Alastor right next to him. Jesus, he was going to give Vox a heart attack one day. Even though he looked exactly as he always did, Vox swore he seemed to exude a touch of radiance that he had never sensed from him before.

“Ah Vox, I see you’ve met Carmilla and Zestial. Now tell me, what gossip have I intruded upon?” Alastor asked brightly with his ever-present grin. Vox occasionally wondered if he ever got tired of smiling all the time.

“Alastor,” Carmilla nodded in acknowledgement, “We were just congratulating your friend on his new title.”

Vox had to bite back his surprise at Carmilla referring to him as Alastor’s friend. He was always quick to correct people when they made the assumption that they were nothing more than business partners. He studied Alastor’s face after she said it, but his expression remained neutral and to Vox’s astonishment he didn’t correct the weapons dealer.

“Right, well don’t let me get in the way of such scintillating conversation,” Alastor said breezily, as he made eye contact with Rosie. He dipped his head a fraction, turning back slightly towards Vox as he spoke, “Do join us when you’re finished, hm?”

Before Vox could ask him to stay, he was already halfway to the cannibal Overlord, leaving Vox feeling slightly awkward. He grinned sheepishly at Carmilla and Zestiall and shrugged.

The rest of the night was a whirlwind, Vox was constantly being congratulated or introduced to other influential demons. None of which he had any qualms about, but he was starting to feel just a little weary when he vaguely heard someone ask him about Alastor.

Actually, Vox hadn’t seen him since he’d first arrived and realized that he had been so wrapped up in the glitz and glamor of it all that he had forgotten to link back up with Alastor…  He scanned the ballroom until his eyes fell on a scarlet demon in a similarly colored, pinstriped suit. He nodded curtly and excused himself from the present conversation, not that he had been paying much attention for a while.

“And here I was telling Rosie, you’d blown us off,” Alastor hummed as Vox pushed his way through the crowd to the table where he and Rosie were occupying. The radio demon looked understandably perturbed, but Rosie flashed him a sympathetic smile. Vox felt a flush creep up his screen.

“Sorry, I got a little distracted with everything–”

“Excuses, excuses…” Alastor chastised him mildly. Snapping his staff back into existence as he stood, he nodded at Rosie, “A pleasure as always, my dear, but it’s about time we head out for the evening.”

Vox trailed behind him, feeling guilty for forgetting about Alastor during the gala. He held Alastor in such high regard that the palpable disappointment weighed on him more than he’d like to admit. As they made their way across the floor, Vox heard his name being called and he turned around to see a photographer looking at him eagerly.

“Mr. Vox! Would you and Alastor mind posing for a picture for the–”

“I’m afraid not,” Alastor replied snippily, continuing to head to the exit, “We were just on our way out, if you’ll excu–”

“Come on Al, just one picture! It’s the least you could do,” Vox whined playfully as he dragged Alastor back, an action which earned him a look of displeasure and an irritated radio wave pulse through their shared connection. But Alastor compiled, rolling his eyes as the photographer lined up the shot.

Vox beamed as the flash went off, basking in the exhilarating energy of the social gathering. If he could relive any moment in the afterlife over and over again, it would be this one.

“There. Satisfied?” Alastor said tersely, fiddling with his cufflinks–a behavior that he did when he was anxious or distracted. It didn’t happen often and Alastor was too prideful to ever admit it, but Vox knew otherwise. He downed the rest of his champagne and thanked the photographer before turning his attention back to his business partner.

“Oh come on, Al. It wasn’t that bad,” Vox responded exasperatedly, before linking his arm with Alastor’s. His pulse quickened as he turned his head to ask Alastor something that had been on his mind for a while–

“And here I thought you got it all out of your system.”

Shit!

Vox fumbled with the photo, he had been so absorbed in nostalgia that he didn’t hear Alastor approach. So much for avoiding detection. “Al! I-I was looking for you–”

“Yes, I am aware. Apologies for my tardiness but unfortunately, we will have to cancel today’s plans. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to,” Alastor cut him off and stepped into his room.

As Alastor stepped into a more illuminated position, he could now see that Alastor’s smile was overly taut and he stood with an unusual stiffness. Again, he wouldn’t say he was a radio demon whisperer, but being in his presence again seemed to have re-awakened a few of the subtleties he used to be able to clock with ease.

“Is… is something wrong?”

“Aha! No! Whatever gave you that ridiculous idea?”

Vox’s mouth flattened into a thin line. He thought they had moved past all this. It wasn’t perfect by any means but their relationship hadn’t been as antagonistic as it was a few days ago. Vox sighed as Alastor continued to grin patronizingly at him. He was a fool to think that his former business partner was remotely capable of even thinking about dropping the mask or showing an ounce of humanity. In fact, Vox doubted Alastor had any in his human life.

“No wonder you ran away after the fight with Adam, you were always too pussy to face anything head on,” Vox muttered bitterly under his breath.

When Alastor’s eyes flashed dangerously Vox realized he struck a nerve. In a split second, the radio demon was up in his space, towering over him in his partial demon form with several shadowy tentacles raised behind him.

“I will not tolerate your continued impudence and attempts to undermine me!”

Despite every warning bell going off in his head, Vox stood his ground. 

“I wouldn’t need to if you just let down your guard for once,” he countered, puffing out his chest defiantly. Boy he wasn’t just walking a fine line, he was throwing all caution to the wind and stomping on it like it was nothing. Furthermore, he stepped towards Alastor with such brash confidence he almost thought someone else was controlling him.

Vox saw Alastor’s lips moving but the increased radio distortion made it difficult to hear, let alone to understand what Alastor was saying. A tentacle forcefully shoved Vox against the wall, while the radio demon stared at him menacingly.

Although Vox hadn’t understood a word Alastor had said in the past thirty seconds, his intentions were clear.

Vox closed his eyes and braced himself for the inevitable shadow tentacle to smack him to the floor or asphyxiate him. Except it never came. After a few tense heartbeats he decided to hazard a peek. To his surprise, he opened his eyes to find Alastor pressed up against him. No, not just that  his mouth was on Vox’s mouth. After a moment’s hesitation, he leaned into the kiss, his eyes closing once again.